This was originally a post on Facebook, but I thought I’d share it here, too.

The news was released today that artist Darwyn Cooke is receiving palliative care for a particularly aggressive form of cancer. As a fan of his work, and as a cancer surivor, this news is shocking and makes me sadder than I can say.

Cooke is a wonderful artist who’s probably most well-known for his DC: The New Frontier, but he also deserves recognition for his wonderful Batman family stories and — my personal favorite — his adaptations of the Richard Stark “Parker” books. His work has always been nostalgic yet modern, gentle yet powerful, and always filled with joy. In a medium in which the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” carries more weight than usual, Cooke’s art spoke with the authority of a king clearing his throat.

Cooke doesn’t seem like the kind of person to blow smoke, so I won’t either — “palliative care” isn’t usually a good sign. It means that, instead of treating the disease, the patient will be made as comfortable as possible while things run their course. It is a heartbreaking, but heroically humane, courageous, choice to make.

I don’t know how long we’ll have Darwyn Cooke with us, but I’m happy to know his art will be immortal. And I don’t know if donations will help him or his family at this point, but I hope you’ll at least consider donating to a cancer organization in his honor. Then go out and buy his books, and tell others about them. Share the work that he so obviously put so much of himself into.